If you listen to the baseball media, you will learn two things about the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. First off, they have the best player in baseball in Mike Trout; in fact, you probably cannot hear any other information about the Angels before some scribe thinks they are breaking news by making the most obvious statement in the sport. The other thing the media wants to remind you is the fact that the Angels are coming off a bad season, one in which they finished at 74-88. Manager Mike Sciosia is entering his 18th season as the Angels manager. The Angels have finished with a winning record in 12 of Scioscia's 17 previous managerial seasons and two of the past three. Many of these writers seem to have forgotten that the Angels won 85 games in 2015. Not only have they written the Angels off, but many have foolishly suggested the team should trade Trout, maybe because they feel the Angels "don't deserve him." Not only are the writers clueless in their assessment of the Angels, but a trade of Trout would do nothing but harm to the Angels, even if they decide to completely rebuild. Not only is Trout the best player in the game, but he has shown no signs of decline or depreciation. The fact that he is 25 years old means he is just entering the prime of his career. If the Angels were interested in making a trade, they would have the right to ask for a package of players that had never been included in a trade. A case could be made that no team has the farm system to give a return that would satisfy what the Angels can justifiably demand. For example, if the Angels were talking to the Yankees, they could respectively ask for catcher Gary Sanchez, outfielders Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier, shortstops Gleybar Torres and Jorge Mateo and pitchers James Kaprielian and Luis Severino. While no Yankees fan would except that trade, the Angels could make a case that the package may still not be enough. As another hypothetical, I will use the Chicago White Sox. For Trout, the Angels have the right to ask for infielders Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson, pitchers Lucas Giolito, Carson Fulmer, Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Michael Kopech and it very well might simply not be enough (+ Jose Quintana?). The point is, the Angels have the right to ask for an unprecedented return and stick to it. And nobody that has interest in Mike Trout will step up to the plate and make such a deal. Finally, if Mike Trout is ever traded for a package of players that does not satisfy his worth, not only should the entire executive branch of the Angels baseball department lose their jobs, but a case could be made that the owner should give up ownership for the team and not receive a dime for it. One thing that stands out about the 2016 Angels is the fact that only six players managed to play in over 100 games and only three starting pitchers made 20 or more starts for them last season. The team managed to address their offensive depth situation by adding outfielder Cameron Maybin, second baseman Danny Espinosa and catcher Martin Maldonado in trades and signing free agent corner infielder Luis Valbuena. Journeyman starting pitcher Jesse Chavez was also brought in to battle for a spot in the back of the Angels' rotation. Veteran starter Jered Weaver is gone via free agency and three of the Angels projected four starters are coming off of major injuries. Garrett Richards made just six starts last season and could have had Tommy John surgery. Instead, he chose to rehab and seems ready to start the season in the Angels rotation. Tyler Skaggs missed the entire 2015 season due to the operation, but did pitch well in most of his ten starts in the second half of the season. Matt Shoemaker's 2016 season ended on September 4, but is expected to be in good shape to start the season. Pitchers Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano have their 2017 seasons lost due to TJ. One of the bigger surprises last season for the Angels was right handed pitcher Ricky Nolasco, who pitched to a 3.21 earned run average and averaged 6 and a half innings for his 11 Angels starts. He was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a deal for left hander Hector Santiago. Non roster invitees Bud Norris, John Lamb and Yusmeiro Petit are all competing with Chavez and former Twins righty (also in the Nolasco/ Santiago trade) Alex Meyer for the number five spot. Closer Huston Street had his 2016 season shortened due to injury. Prior to his season ending, Street pitched to a scary 6.45 injury and may be a concern to start this season. Cam Bedrosian (1.12 ERA, 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched) may be ready to take over as the full time closer. Veteran Andrew Bailey pitched to a 2.38 ERA in 12 games for them last season. Left hander Jose Alvarez and righties Mike Morin and Deolis Guerra seem to be locks to gain spots in the pen. Left handed pitcher JC Ramiez and right hander Daniel Wright will battle with Norris, Chavez, Lamb and Petit for a spot in the front of the bullpen. For the first time in a couple years, the Angels have a pretty good offense to protect the game's best player. The additions of Maybin, Espinosa and Valbuena add a little bit more of a length to a lineup that relied on Trout, Albert Pujols and Kole Calhoun last season. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons hit a career high .281 but was limited to 124 games in his first season in Los Angeles. First baseman CJ Cron hit 16 home runs in 116 games last year and third baseman Yunel Escobar hit over .300 for the second consecutive season. The catching situation should not produce a lot of offense, but the Angels like the game calling abilities of both Maldonado and Carlos Perez. The Angels lineup I would use opening day is Maybin LF, Escobar 3B, Trout CF, Pujols DH, Calhoun RF, Cron/ Valbuena 1B, Espinosa 2B, Simmons SS, Maldonado C. Veteran Ben Revere is in to be a fourth outfielder and infielder Cliff Pennington will help out in the middle infield. Outfielder Jahmai Jones has the ability to become a star. With his father and brother having made it to the NFL as wide receivers for the Detroit Lions, Jahmai has used that genetic athleticism and added it to his already superior baseball IQ. 2016 first round pick Matt Thaiss, who is a Jackson, New Jersey high school alum, has a great eye at the plate and does not strike out very much. This is worth watching as few potential power bats are able to curb the K's like Thaiss has shown early on. Right hand pitcher Keynan Middleton could crack the roster as a reliever this spring. If not, expect him to have the same impact on the team Bedrosian did last year. Meyer is still considered a prospect, but that status is hanging on by its last legs. The Angels have a very good squad that can compete with anybody if everybody stays healthy. Injuries destroyed the team's chances and they will need to have Skaggs, Richards and Shoemaker healthy if they want to compete with the more talented teams in the American League West division, clearly the best division in baseball. I think the Angels can stay in the Wild Card race into the month of September, but just do not have (on paper) the overall talent to win more games than the Astros, Mariners and Rangers. Anything can happen, but the Angels need a lot more to go right than the other ALW teams to come out on top in this division. The Las Vegas over/ under for the Angels is 76.5. I am taking the over, thinking the Angels can finish at 82-80, fourth place in the American League West division.

It is amazing how close it is getting to another season of baseball. Spring training has started in the states of Florida and Arizona and just about all the transactions have been finalized. Rosters have been constructed, so now it is time to get a sense of what to expect from each of the 30 MLB teams. Some are easier to get an idea of; many of which we could probably agree with the projections. If we all put a list of the top five MLB teams and their outlooks, most of us might agree on four of the top five. The same could be said about the bottom five. But as many as 20 teams are kind of in the middle; very difficult to call what to expect what to see from them. If you are into computer generated predictions along the lines of MLB The Show, then fangraphs and the PECOTA system are right up your alley. Other outlets discuss like to give teams credit for making the postseason the year before. Last season, six of the ten postseason teams did not make the playoffs the year before. As I preview all 30 teams, I will discuss the off season, what the projected roster will look like and what is happening on the farm. Afterwards, I will give a reason I have a team finishing with a certain record based off the Las Vegas over/ unders. As always, feel free to comment, tweet me or post on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Passed-Ball-Show-283493218338944/. The Baltimore Orioles won the American League East division in 2014. They were set for a disappointment in 2015 after losing top free agents Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis. The Orioles got some very good pitching in 2014, but it seemed like the starters like of succeeded in mirrors. Chris Tillman, who won 13 games and pitched to a 3.34 earned run average, slipped to a 11 win, 11 loss, 4.99 ERA in 2015. Bud Norris won 15 games and had a 3.65 ERA in 2014, he pitched so poorly that the Orioles released him in 2015 and he finished the season in the San Diego Padres bullpen. Last off season, I made my case why the Orioles should have added another starting pitcher, particularly one who could lead or be a part of the top of the staff. The Orioles did not and Tillman, Norris and Miguel Gonzalez (9-12, 4.91) all had bad seasons like many predicted. The one bright spot in the starting rotation was Wei-Yin Chen, who was 11-8, 3.34 in just over 191 innings for the Orioles last season. Unfortunately, Chen himself left as a free agent to join the Miami Marlins in what was one of the best team free agent signings of the off season. The Orioles brought in Yovani Gallardo (13-11, 3.42, just over 184 innings pitched) from the Texas Rangers and after the extremely thorough physical examination (the Orioles are known for failing physicals for reasons other teams would not), renegotiated his contract for two seasons and a guaranteed $22 million. The Orioles biggest addition, though, was the re-signing of free agent first baseman Chris Davis (.262 batting average, 47 home runs, 117 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, .923 on base plus slugging) after a long, tenuous process. The signing of free agent Pedro Alvarez (.243, 27, 77, .787) and earlier trade for outfielder Mark Trumbo (.262, 22, 64, .759) should make up for some of the power lost last off season when Cruz went to Seattle and Markakis went to Atlanta. The Orioles also brought back Matt Wieters, somewhat unexpectedly, after the catcher accepted the team's qualifying offer. They also maintained their solid presence in their bullpen by bringing back right hander Darren O'Day (6-2, 1.52, 82 Ks in just 65 innings). The Orioles offense should improve this season. Not just because of the additions of Alvarez and Trumbo and the return of Davis and Wieters, but because of the emergence of star third baseman Manny Machado. Last season was nothing short of spectacular as the 22 year-old played in all 162 games, hit .286 with 35 home runs, 86 runs batted in, 181 hits, 102 runs scored and finished with a .861 OPS. It is scary to think that Machado may be able to take his game to another level this season, an occurrence which might change this writer's outlook on the entire team for the season, Wieters hit 20 home runs each season from 2011-2013 before his Tommy John surgery cost him most of the past two seasons. All Star Adam Jones (.269, 27, 82, .782) will be back in center field and is the face of the franchise. Shortstop JJ Hardy (.219, 8, 37, .564) returned from an injury himself last season and struggled to return to the form that saw him hit 77 home runs from 2011-2013. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop (.279, 15, 39, .788) is just 24 this season and has a little room to grow. Hyun Soo Kim (.326, 28, 121, .979) comes over from the Korean Baseball Organization to play left field and likely platoon with longtime farmhand Nolan Reimold (.247, 6, 20, .738).The Orioles bench will consist of utility players Jimmy Parades (.275, 10, 42, .726) and Ryan Flaherty (.202, 9. 31, .631). Joey Rickard hit .321 and OPSed .874 in the minors last season and will get some time spelling Trumbo in the outfield. Caleb Joseph, the team's backup catcher, proved last season that he should get more of a look as a starting player. Look for the Orioles to use Joseph a lot early to preserve Wieters for the long season. Kim, Trumbo and either Joseph or Wieters will probably get some time at designated hitter with Alvarez spelling Davis occasionally at first base. While Machado seems likely to play nearly every inning at third base once again, the team has no shortages of players who can play third including Parades, Flaherty and Davis. While Alvarez and Trumbo have played the position, neither is likely to play third, even in cases of desperation.The Orioles bullpen will once again be solid with a couple of the game's best relief pitchers, Zach Britton (4-1, 1.92, 36 saves, 79 Ks, just under 66 IP) and O'Day. Brian Matusz (1-4, 2.94, 56 Ks, 49 IP) and Brad Brach (5-3, 2.72, 89 Ks, just over 79 IP) are better than average, giving the Orioles a solid seven through nine. I would expect a big improvement from Jason Garcia, despite the fact that he was just optioned to the minors. Taken in the Rule 5 draft from Boston (through Houston), Garcia possesses a strong arsenal that makes for a quality reliever. Left hander TJ Macfarlane and righty Chaz Roe will likely round out the Orioles bullpen. Lefty Cesar Cabral and righty Pedro Beato also have a chance to make the team. I saved the worst for last when discussing the 2016 Orioles. The bullpen could be great and at the very least, will be better than most. But what is a good bullpen on a team that lacks the starters to get them there. I spoke a little bit about Gallardo earlier, who is a suitable replacement for the loss of Chen. However, the Orioles projected number two and three starters, Tillman and Gonzalez, both digressed last season and need to bounce back or the rotation looks bad. Top pitching prospect Kevin Gausman (4-7, 4.25, 103 Ks, just over 112 IP) could be a key to the mix. If he reaches his original potential, the before mentioned three can all slide down. Ubaldo Jimenez (12-10, 4.11, 31 starts) was serviceable and will be a forth or fifth starter and right hander Michael Wright will attempt to provide some insurance. Look for the Orioles to add a back end of the rotation starter for some depth before the spring ends. They would also be wise to explore a trade for a dependable one through three. Looking at the Orioles farm system, the first player I would like to profile is Garcia. The minor league starting pitcher becoming a hard throwing late game reliever has become a thing and a healthy Garcia is a strong candidate to fit the build. Dylan Bundy could make the team as a reliever this season but is best suited for AAA to start the season. Garcia and Bundy are expected to join Britton as starters who end up serving a prominent role in the bullpen. First baseman Christian Walker is major league ready but is without a position to play in Baltimore. He hit 18 home runs in Triple- A last season. Hunter Harvey is battling some elbow problems once again and is questionable for the start of the season. He probably needs another full minor league season before the Orioles can think about putting him in their beleaguered rotation. Another to consider is right hander Mychal Givens. The 25 year- old struck out 79 in just over 57 innings last season at Triple- A Bowie. The signings of Gallardo and Alvarez put the Orioles in a better position than they were in a month ago. They need to get a lot out of Tillman, Gonzalez and Gausman if they expect to contend at all. A bad rotation could take its tole on the bullpen as great as it is. Trumbo and Alvarez add some thump to an already above average offensive unit and they are lucky to be managed by one of the best in Buck Showalter. Showalter has a pulse on this team and they will continue to over achieve for him. However, I look at the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox and I simply see a better assembled group of players. Perhaps the Orioles can surprise with a good start and ride that into a long season like they did in 2014. I do not see it though. I see it far from being a disaster, though, and that is why I look at the Orioles as an 81-81 team. That is what they finished at a year ago and that is a half a win above where Las Vegas put them at 80.5.

As we enter another exciting baseball season, it is always interesting to get a feel of what we are in for. Many outlets have given their predictions, most of whom have taken the safe route. The safe route consists of assuming the teams that were bad in the previous season will continue to be bad and the teams that made the postseason the previous season will return the coming year. These outlets will generally put one team that just missed out on the playoffs the season before to make it seem they are trying to make a reach. There really is no way to accurately predict how teams in any sport will finish in a given season. While certain teams seem to have more talent on paper, it is impossible to factor in things like injuries, chemistry, and something as simple as a player backing up what it says on his baseball card. Sure, it is easy to suggest that players may depreciate due to age, it is difficult to rate exactly as much. So, in the end, there is no set prediction to trust as being better than another. All should be considered equal as long as reasoning is provided for why a certain team may finish as well or as poorly. This is my fifth year doing my team predictions. While my accuracy has improved each year, it is far from perfect. I will discuss the outlook from the previous season, the moves made in the off season, the team's farm system and what players can be expected to improve for each team. Based off of that, I have viewed the Las Vegas over unders, and have given said team a win total. As in the previous years, I will do the predictions from worst to best. The Atlanta Braves finished 2015 with a 67-95 record, forth in the National League East. The second half of the season was very difficult to watch, going through a 18-37 stretch which covered the months of August and September. They did finish off the season with a three game sweep of the NL Central DIvision Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Two distinct reviews both equally represent the state of the Atlanta Braves after a very busy winter. The trade of shortstop Andrelton Simmons (.265 batting average, 4 home runs, 44 RBI, .660 on base plus slugging) and right hand pitcher Shelby Miller (6 wins- 17 losses, 3.02 earned run average, 171 strikeouts in just over 205 innings pitched) netted the Braves some of the top prospects in all of baseball. RHP Chris Ellis and left hand pitcher Sean Newcomb came over in the Simmons trade from Los Angeles and 2015 number one overall pick Dansby Swanson and RHP Aaron Blair going to the Braves in the deal for Miller. While the future may look bright, the present looks the exact opposite of that. The Braves did get a couple of everyday players in the trades as well. SS Erick Aybar (.270, 3, 44, .639) and CF Ender Inciarte (.303, 6, 45, .747) give the Braves a little bit of a better chance to contend. They join a lineup that feature star first baseman Freddie Freeman (.276, 18, 66, .841). Freeman hopes that he is fully recovered from an injury that cost him over forty games last season. Thirty- year old Cuban born Hector Olivera (.253, 2, 11, .715) is making the transition from the infield to the outfield. Though it is no guarantee it is a given he will succeed as an OF, odds are he will be able to break out this season offensively. Veteran OF Nick Markakis (.296, 3, 53, .746) adds some depth with veteran catcher AJ Pierzynski (.300, 9, 49, .769), second baseman Jace Peterson (.239, 6, 52, .649) and third baseman Adonis Garcia (.277, 10, 26, .790) round out the projected Braves starting lineup. I would line them like this- Aybar SS, Inciarte CF, Freeman 1B, Olivera LF, Markakis RF, Garcia 3B, Pierzynski C, Peterson 2B. Assuming nobody is traded by the start of the regular season (a far fetched assumption), the Braves have the makings of an extremely solid MLB bench. OFs Michael Bourn (.238, 0, 30, .592) and Nick Swisher (.196, 6, 25, .631) return for the Braves and they added infielders Kelly Johnson (.265, 14, 47, .750) and Gordon Beckham (.209, 6, 20, .607) as well as catcher Tyler Flowers (.239, 9, 39, .652). Daniel Castro (.240, 2, 5, .606) and Emilio Bonifacio (.167, 0, 4, .390) both have a good chance of making the team because of their versatility, but a spot needs to be cleared for Castro and Bonifacio needs to simply prove he can still play. If the Braves have one strength, it is the back of their bullpen. Arodys Vizcaino (3-1, 1.60, 9 saves, 37 K in just under 34 innings) will likely be the team's closer. Jason Grilli (3-4, 2.94, 24 saves, 45 K in just under 34 innings) is returning from an Achilles injury and is joined by RHP Jim Johnson (2-6, 4.46, 10 saves). Johnson started 2014 with Atlanta and was great (2-3, 2.25, 9 saves) before his trade to LA. A wild card may be RHP Mike Foltynewicz, who was acquired in a 2014 deal with Houston. He has the opportunity to become a dominant late inning reliever after coming through the minor leagues as a starting pitcher. LHPs Andrew McKirahan, Ian Krol and Manny Banuelos lead a strong core of hard throwing lefties. RHP Shae Simmons (1-2, 2.91, 23 Ks) is expected to return from Tommy John surgery and could free Foltynewicz or Banuelos for the starting rotation. Veterans Alexei Ogando, David Carpenter and Alex Torres are all in on minor league invites. The lack of MLB ready depth in the starting rotation will make things tough for Atlanta. Of course, the thoughts that Newcome, Ellis and Blair coming to the bigs within the next year or so are encouraging. RHP Julio Teheran (11-8, 4.04, 171 Ks) is the ace of this staff. I would think the Braves would look to trade Teheran during the season as long as he continues to pitch well. Bud Norris, a 15 game winner for Baltimore in 2014, was released last season after pitching horribly (2-9, 7.06). He finished off the year in the San Diego Padres bullpen and pitched okay, not particularly dominating. The Braves will look to Norris to be their number two starter in 2016, followed by Matt Wisler (8-8. 4.71), Williams Perez (7-6, 4,78) and Ryan Weber (0-3, 4.76). If this starting rotation works itself out, it will allow for their bullpen to be great. If not, Foltynewicz and Banuelos will get their shot. The three young pitchers acquired in the off season are unlikely to impact the 2016 club. Twelve of the Braves top sixteen prospects are pitchers led by Newcome, Blair and Ellis. Also among the list are RHPs Touki Toussant and Tyrell Jenkins as well as LHP Kolby Allard. Swanson looks like a star to be and he could come up to the big club late this season. But he is not the only shortstop high on Atlanta's list. Ozhaino Albies seems to be a tremendous glove with the ability to hit for average. Despite not having any power, Albies looks like a legitimate MLB caliber defensive SS. Odds are the 2016 season is not going to look good for the Atlanta Braves. It is for the best, as the next several seasons look more promising as the young talent will continue to prosper through the minor league system. Fredi Gonzalez is given the task of trying to keep the Braves competitive. Unfortunately, it will probably not end well for Fredi, or the 2016 Braves, for that matter. Las Vegas has the Braves Over/ Under at 65, but I expect the Braves to finish worse than that. I got them at 56-106, last place in the NL East as well as last place in all of MLB. The Braves will be able to strengthen their minor league system through the higher draft picks they will gain both this and next year.

The return of baseball in the states of Florida and Arizona may not change the course of the cold weather in other parts of the country. However, it is a reminder that spring and more importantly, spring training, is on the way. It also means the return of www.johnpielli.com 's 30-1 MLB countdown previews, the more controversial series of team baseball previews. All you have to do is go to the same generic websites and read the same predictions. They all have the teams positioned the same. The teams that made the postseason last year are rewarded in the minds of the pickers and are picked to finish in the top of their respective leagues/ divisions. The teams that did not do so well in 2014 are all predicted to finish at the bottom of the division- unless they had a big off season, where in some cases, they get expectations that they cannot fulfill. My predictions are based on how I perceive each roster looks. I have studied the 2014 MLB team, its 2014- 2015 off season, their minor league system and have come up with an overall outlook for 2015. I also use the Las Vegas over- unders to judge the amount of wins I think a team will net for the upcoming season. In some cases, my outlook is completely different from the likes of baseball prospectus (almost always is), baseball america, MLB dot com and other sites. As in past years, I am always up for the debate so I look forward to hearing from you. As always, thanks and "I'll see you on the other side." One of the biggest overachieving teams in 2014 was the Baltimore Orioles. A lot of credit has to go to manager Buck Showalter, who I think is without a doubt the best manager in baseball right now. 96 wins is very tough to top, or even match. In fact, I do not have a single team winning any more than 95 games this season. Add in the loss of free agents Nelson Cruz (.271, 40, 108) and Nick Markakis (.276, 14, 50) and I think they will have a tough time duplicated their great 2014 season. Offensively, the Orioles have to find away to replace the power Cruz provided and the leadership Markakis showed. Travis Snider (.264, 13, 38) comes over from the Pirates and if you were looking at the glass at half full, Snider seems like the type of player Buck can get the most out of. I still think Markakis is the better player, but I guess we will see what Snider is made of. Other than that, the Orioles did not make any other additions. Injured top players Manny Machado (.278, 12, 32) and Matt Wieters (.308, 5, 18) are expected to make up for some of the lost numbers. 1B Chris Davis, who hit 53 HR in 2013, saw his OPS drop 300 points and his batting average drop 90 points last year. He was then suspended for the use of adderall and has one game remaining to serve at the start of next season. However, he has approval to use the drug for this coming season. Does a healthy Machado and Wieters and the thought of a rejuvenated Davis be enough to offset the loss of the other two players? In an ideal world, yes. But I think it is impossible to expect all three to be at their best, especially with Wieters just 8 months removed from Tommy John surgery. Alejandro De Aza (.252, 8, 41) came over from the White Sox towards the end of last season and will be the everyday LF. Snider is in right with Adam Jones (.281, 29, 96) in center. Jones, without a doubt, is the best player on this team. Davis (.196, 26, 72) is at 1B with Jonathan Schoop (.209, 16, 45) playing 2B. JJ Hardy (.268, 9, 52) is back after signing an extension avoiding free agency and Machado at 3B. Steve Pearce (.293, 21, 49) was one of the better offensive stories last season and because of that, the Orioles think they have their DH. The only issue I have with Pearce is the fact that he had not shown that kind of HR power in several years, even at the minor league level. If he hits 30 HRs, I'll tip my cap. I just do not see it in the cards. My lineup looks like this: De Aza LF, Machado 3B, Jones CF, Davis 1B, Hardy SS, Wieters C, Pearce DH, Snider RF, Schoop 2B. I do like the Orioles bench which features infielder Ryan Flaherty, OFs Delmon Young and David Lough and C Caleb Joseph. In addition, I like the fact the team brought back Nolan Reimold, a one time top prospect, to compete for some time in the OF and at DH. Showalter always seems to get the best out of his pitchers, even without some of the more dominant and well known arms. Zach Britton, who had made just 2 MLB relief appearances prior to 2014, had a very good season (3-2, 1.65, 37 saves, 71 games) as the team's closer. Darren O'Day (5-2, 1.70, 68 games) was as dominant a late game reliever that nobody talked about. RHP Tommy Hunter (3-2, 2.97, 60 games) and LHP Brian Matusz (2-3, 3.48, 63 games) provide some depth. LHP Wesley Wright (0-3, 3.17, 58 games) comes over as a free agent from the Cubs and RHPs Ryan Webb (3-3, 3.83, 51 games) and Brad Brach (7-1, 3.18, 46 games) round out the pen. Hard thrower Steve Johnson could be a dark horse candidate to play a prominent role in the Orioles bullpen. I can see him becoming the 8th inning guy nobody thought about coming into the season. The Orioles starting pitching is led by Chris Tillman (13-6, 3.34, 34 starts), Wei Yin Chen (16-6, 3.54, 31 starts) and Bud Norris (15-8, 3.65, 28 starts). RHPs Miguel Gonzalez (10-9, 3.23, 26 starts) and Kevin Gausman (7-7, 3.57, 20 starts) could round out the rotation with top prospects Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey close to being ready. This kind of leaves RHP Ubaldo Jimenez out of the picture. Ubaldo had a solid 2013 season (13-9, 3.30, 30 starts for Cleveland) and parlayed that into a 4 year, $50 million deal with the Orioles. I think it will be interesting to see how things play out with Jimenez, with a trade likely out of the question unless the Orioles want to pay a significant portion of his remaining contract. Can he be a reclamation project as a reliever? I think that will be up to Ubaldo, who is known to have a bit of a temper. I think it is a safe bet to say the Orioles won't duplicate their 2014 season. Can they win the AL East? One of the major factors of winning a division is to be able to beat the teams in your division. The Orioles did that last season. However, I think the Blue Jays and Red Sox are much better and the Orioles have digressed. The one wild card is the pitching, which will surprise nobody if it overachieves. Having Buck in the dugout is going to win you games you would otherwise lose. Las Vegas has the Orioles O/U at 82 1/2, which I think is a fair number (remember, they won 96 games last season). I still take the under, 79-83, 4th place in the AL East division. I just do not have enough faith in guys like Snider and Pearce and really don't know what to expect from Machado and Wieters coming back from the major injuries.

Another July 31st MLB trade deadline has come and gone. A couple of moves were made with the San Diego Padres acquiring RHP Ian Kennedy from the Arizona Diamondbacks for LHP Joe Thatcher, Baltimore adding RHP Bud Norris, the Royals adding OF Justin Maxwell. Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox added RHP Jake Peavy in a deal that sent SS Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and OF Avasial Garcia to the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics got infielder Alberto Callaspo in a separate deal with the Angels. Over the past several seasons, the trade deadline has been a busy affair, since more teams consider themselves in a race for a potential playoff berth. In spite of three top starting pitchers being moved, it was has to be a deadline that has to be considered slow in regards to trades. Perhaps a bigger issue could be the deals that were not made. The Phillies still have 3B Michael Young, the Giants still have OF Hunter Pence, the White Sox still have OF Alex Rios and 2B Gordon Beckham and the Mets still have OF Marlon Byrd. And, as expected pitchers Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum are exacty where they expected to be: in Philadelphia and San Francisco, respectively. Potential moves regarding these players did not happen for a number of reasons. While we look ahead to the month of August, where players can be traded once they clear waivers, here is a little excerpt from a post I made at last year's trading deadline. July 31st has only been a landmark day since really 1989; prior to that, many deals were completed before that. The trading deadline was started by Kenesaw Landis after a late season 1922 trade brought Joe Dugan to the Yankees which allowed them to win the AL Pennant. The deadline was originally June 15th and it stayed that way from 1923-1985. It became July 31st for the 1986 season. The first major July 31st trade was when the New York Mets acquired LHP Frank Viola from the Minnesota Twins for five players, including RHP Rick Aguilera and Kevin Tapani. While the Mets were making a push to return to the postseason, it was the Twins who reaped the benefits of this trade, winning the World Series just two years later. Just five years ago, one of the more significant trades was made with time winding down. The Atlanta Braves added 1B Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers, giving up SS Elvis Andrus, LHP Matt Harrison, RHP Neftali Feliz and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a 5 for 1 trade. The Rangers owe part of the credit for their consecutive World Series appearances to that trade. In 1997, the Boston Red Sox acquired RHP Heathcliff Slocomb from the Mariners for C Jason Varitek and RHP Derek Lowe. It is possible the Red Sox do not have their success for the next 10 + seasons without that trade, among other things. While the last trade gave the Red Sox two important pieces for their championship runs, it was the 2004 trade of star SS Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs; the four team deal that brought the Red Sox SS Orlando Cabrera and 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, that may have been the turning point of the Red Sox fortune. Several sluggers have been moved on July 31st. The Yankees acquired Cecil Fielder from the Tigers in 1996, and Greg Vaughn was moved from the Brewers to the Padres on the same day. Mark McGwire was moved from Oakland to St Louis exactly one year later. 2008 saw Ken Griffey, Jr move from the Reds to the White Sox and Manny Ramirez move from the Red Sox to the Dodgers. And for good measure, Seattle traded future HOF LHP Randy Johnson to the Astros for INF Carlos Guillen, RHP Freddy Garcia and LHP John Halama on July 31st of 1998. Another interesting trade was made in 1997, when the Chicago White Sox threw up the white flag when they traded LHP Wilson Alvarez, RHP Roberto Hernandez and RHP Danny Darwin to the San Francisco Giants for six players, including Bob Howry and Keith Foulke. This resulted in 3B and current White Sox manager Robin Ventura to say, "I didn't know the season ended August 1st!" Many teams have made minor tweaks on the last day before players have to clear waivers before they can be traded. This works until August 31, afterwards no player added can be part of a team's postseason roster. As the time runs down today, it will be interesting to see what deals, if any will be made today.